BY NICOLAS CORTES
Photo courtesy FHSU Student International Services
International Education Week (IEW) was held at Fort Hays State University this week. It consisted of a series of events and activities highlighting FHSU international students.
The International Student Services Office was in charge of organizing this year’s festival – which was four days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main reason for IEW was to highlight international students, exchange students, and students who have studied abroad who are currently taking classes in Fort Hays.
All events held were open to the FHSU and Hays community. With a total of six events via ZOOM, the students were able to introduce their cultures to the rest of the Tigers. It all started with the “Paraguayan Culture Presentation” on Monday morning.
A total of five representatives from that country were in charge of presenting the Paraguayan culture to the community. At the same time, they explained the connection that Paraguay has with Kansas, especially with the city of Hays.
“On Monday, I had the pleasure of sharing my beautiful country of Paraguay with the other four Paraguayans,” Luciana Mendoza said. “We share the history, economy, culture, traditions, places to visit, and the special relation that Paraguay has with Hays.”
That same Monday, the “International Cooking Demonstration” event was held, based on Chinese food. Attendees learned many recipes from China. Also held via ZOOM meeting was the “Online Study Abroad Fair,” where students could see everything related to studying outside the United States from the hand of FHSU.
Another highlight event was “Why I am a Tiger”, a meeting between Fort Hays State University international students and the Hays community. Each student spoke about why they chose to be a part of FHSU and how they have felt in the Tiger community. They briefly shared the culture of each country and the main issues. The Hays community was able to interact with these students to create a welcoming atmosphere.
Also, on Wednesday afternoon, a group of student-athletes representing FHSU gathered for the event “What is it like to be an international student-athlete? These students explained a little about how difficult and beautiful it is to be an international student-athlete at FHSU, interacting with the Tiger fans who were present. All this was closed with an entertaining event called “Culture Week Activities at Zhengzhou” on Thursday afternoon.
“I have been very pleased with the international students who have participated in the panel and presentations,” Director of International Student Services Carol Solko-Olliff said. “This has been a wonderful week of events and activities. We have also recorded the sessions and will place them on the international student services website for others to review.”